Molinard Habanita Eau de Parfum (2012): New & Old {New Fragrance} {Perfume Images & Ads}

Molinard are releasing a newly tweaked version, in a new concentration, of the 1920s classic, Habanita (1921) inspired by the then emerging culture of feminine statement smoking as a sign of gender emancipation.

Resting on a seminal vetiver-and-vanilla accord rather than a more literalist tobacco one to confer deep Oriental inflections to a smoky, husky and sultry theme, it has remained a reference Oriental to this day - alongside Shalimar by Guerlain born just 4 years later - despite losing some of its heavier tones over the decades....

As Molinard wish to remind us, the perfume launched in 1921 with the tag line "The most tenacious perfume in the world," some of which could still be experienced more pointedly a couple of decades ago.

A parfum version exists next to the more widely available eau de toilette version. An eau de parfum version has been occasionally proposed as with the limited edition Edition Privée for Christmas 2010. Now it seems that the house of Molinard want to impose a more durable variation of the scent.

According to Osmoz, it is a more intense and carnal interpretation of the eau de toilette and still features the original 600 ingredients which make up the formula. It is just that a new balance was struck.

While the perfume reformulation hints at a desire to reconnect with the deeper nuances of the fragrance, the commercial for it expresses the aim to touch a new generation of perfume wearers, a younger one. The brand even offers to draw a link between the spirit of the Roaring Twenties and the contemporary one of "rock 'n' roll".

The flacon originally designed by René Lalique reveals an Art Deco styling of an antique frieze with bathing beauties. It has also been revisited to be turned into a more unisex-feeling, matte, frosted black glass rendering of the current bottle.

Indeed, the house emphasizes the point that some men like to wear Habanita.

Via Osmoz